|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Thomas Ritter demonstrates the Piaffe in Hand with the Lipizzan Mare, Electa, during a November 2008 clinic in Seattle, Washington. Photo by Shana Ritter. |
William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle |
Dr. Thomas Ritter and the Lipizzan Stallion, Maestoso II Shama II, demonstrate a Trot Halfpass at the Longrein. October 2008. Photo by Shana Ritter. |
William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle |
Dr. Thomas Ritter and the Lipizzan Stallion, Maestoso II Catrina. Piaffe in Hand. October 2008. Photo by Shana Ritter. |
William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle |
William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle |
|
Queen Isabel of France by Velasquez |
|
The Dressage Blog
February 24, 2009
On the Bit 5.0
©Thomas Ritter 2009
Paul Plinzner (1888, 12, translation: TR):
"The power of the haunches on the one hand and the weight of the forehand on the other are the two great factors of dressage. If the rider succeeds through the aids of his hands and legs, and always with the support of the appropriate distribution of his own weight, in keeping the horse positioned in such a way that the power of the hindquarters and the weight of the forehand are connected with each other through the elastically raised back in conjunction with the ‘unconditional poll flexion on the bit’, so that they act upon each other without loss of energy, then the horse practically works himself.
"Since every step of a hind leg is directed towards the rider’s hand, it causes the horse to relax into it. Conversely, the hand flexes the grounded hind leg and causes it to push and lift off again, either by resisting against the weight of the forehand, or by sending it backward towards the grounded hind leg through active half halts."
Strengthening and suppling the haunches through the weight of the forehand, while suppling and lightening the parts of the forehand through the thrust and the flexion of the haunches is a key principle in Gustav Steinbrecht’s training method, to which his student Paul Plinzner obviously also adheres. From this point of view, riding is a form of weight lifting for the horse.
What is interesting in this paragraph is the mentioning of the elastically raised back as a connecting energy conduit between the forehand and the hindquarters, as well as the supple poll. The vertebrae of the horse’s back have to transmit the thrust of the hindquarters from back to front and the weight and rein aids from front to back. If the back drops or stops swinging, the energy connection is severed, and the half halts cannot reach the hind legs any more.
The discovery of the importance of the swinging back, along with the invention of the term “backmover” vs. “legmover” is probably the most important contribution of the 19th century – especially the second half of the 19th century – to the development of dressage.
Paul Plinzner (1888, 15, translation: TR):
“The ‚elastic lifting of the back‘ and the ‚unconditional poll flexion‘, which is usually inseparable from it, are so extraordinarily important that they have to become second nature to the horse. It is therefore extremely desirable for the horse to carry the rider in this frame right from the start, if possible. This can be achieved by instructing him to assume this frame at the longe line, without the weight of the rider, first."
Plinzner is the first author I have found who considers the swinging of the back to be the result of the poll flexion. Other authors, like Otto de la Croix, seem to describe the poll flexion rather as a result of the engagement and flexion of the haunches. Both views have their problems, when they are taken to an extreme, and they have given rise to mistakes and misunderstandings.
Plinzner’s view can lead the rider to the assumption that he has to create poll flexion with the reins alone, at any cost. De la Croix’s view, on the other hand, can lead to a certain neglect of the poll flexion and a fear or disdain of rein aids. Forcing the horse into an artificial headset with the reins alone disconnects the forehand from the hindquarters by creating false bends and muscle blockages. The horse simply learns to evade by yielding with the wrong joints, so that he can pose in a “frame”, but without being honestly on the aids, i.e. without letting the energy travel freely through his body. However, if a rider subscribes to the opposite point of view, that the poll flexion will come as a result of the flexion of the haunches, and consequently avoids touching the reins altogether, he will make the horse stiff, especially in the underneck and poll, but poll flexion will never be achieved. What is needed instead is an approach that addresses both ends of the horse, that aligns the hips and shoulders of the horse in such a way that the forehand can serve as the weight that flexes and strengthens the hindquarters, while the reins ask the horse to become and remain supple in his neck and poll so that he can find the optimal frame himself as a result of balance and suppleness.
To be continued…
Feel free to e-mail me with questions and comments.
Thomas Ritter
Make a Donation
If the information on this site helps you, please make a donation to ArtisticDressage.com so we can write more articles and blog entries!
|
